AbstractMany small and relatively isolated communities worldwide are suffering from population decline as a result of decreased employment opportunities, outmigration, and a perception that metropolitan areas offer more opportunities. Some of the consequences of these trends on a global scale are ageing rural populations, stagnation of rural areas on an economic and social level, and questionable prospects for positive future developments. However, there are particular groups that migrate to different kinds of rural areas. While some of this rural migration has received attention in the academic literature, still - the full diversity of drivers for rural and particularly outer peripheral migration are not yet well understood. Contemporary theories of migration and mobility may offer some insights into that diversity, but still tend to homogenize rural and remote areas and contemplate on already established reasons for migration to rural areas. The purpose of this research is to explain the diversity of experiences of migrants to depopulating outer peripheral regional areas in three countries in the context of different theories of rural migration. By focusing on rural areas which experience positive migration, although they belong to generally depopulating regions, it is possible to explore whether these ‘unexpected trends’ can be explained solely through set of already existing stereotypes, or it might be interpreted as something different?

About Ana VuinAna is a PhD candidate at the Northern Institute at Charles Darwin University interested in researching and analyzing rural communities and their migration patterns worldwide. Ana has a BS degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in International Hospitality and Service Management, and a MA degree in Tourism and Leisure Management from the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. During her MA studies, she spent one semester at Flinders University, working as a research assistant with the Mid North Knowledge Partnership. Her Master’s thesis was based on that research and analyzed the role of heritage tourism assets in rural migration decisions through case studies from three towns in SA. She also worked with the Center for Rural Medicine (Glesbygdsmedicinskt Centrum, GMC) in Northern Sweden as a research exchange student at Umea University. Her research interests are related to regional development in remote areas, demographic and socio-economic change in rural/ remote areas, migration patterns and cultural awareness and diversity. Read Ana Vuin’s full profile HERE.